Convoy HX 126 was the 126th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from HalifaX to Liverpool.
Prelude The ships departed Halifax on 10 May 1941.Hague p.127 At this time, there were no escorts to provide protection against U-boats for the whole duration of the journey across the North Atlantic. For the first leg of the crossing, the only escort was the armed merchant cruiser which task was to provide protection against merchant raiders.
On the U-boat side, the submarines were reorganized in the group West after the attack on convoy OB 318 and were sent to scout for convoys ever more westward.Rohwer &Hummelchen, p.62
Action On 19 May, the U-boat found the convoy and she directed the other boats of the group West. The group began their attacks on 20 May. The first attack of U-94 in the early morning misses, but in a second attack she sank one or two ships.Blair, p.286 Then contact with the convoy is lost. The next U-boat, found the convoy at noon. In two attacks U-556 sank three ships. As the convoy was still unescorted at the time, it started to break up.
discovered the large 13,000-ton tanker San Felix and damaged it with a torpedo, but the tanker did not belong to HX 126. It was an outbound vessel from the dispersed convoy OB 322. In the evening sank the freighter Rothermere. Around the same time U-94 regained contact with the convoy and sank the tanker John P. Pedersen. Just before midnight, sank the straggler Harpagus with two torpedoes. Harpagus had fallen behind to rescue survivors from Norman Monarch. The 12th escort group, which comprised at the time five destroyers, four corvettes and two anti-submarine trawlers, arrived and started to round up the dispersed ships and reform the convoy. Five of the escorts find U-109 and damage the submarine with depth charges. As a result U-109 aborted to France.
In the early morning of 21 May, struck the tanker Elusa which was later scuttled. was damaged and forced to abort to France by depth charge attacks from the corvette and a destroyer (either or ). Upon learning that a strong escort has arrived, German command disengaged the U-boats and reformed them in a new patrol line further south. Only U-111 is left in place in order to transmit decoy radio signals. On 22 May U-111 found and sank Barnby which either straggled or romped from the convoy.
Ships in the convoy Allied merchant ships A total of 33 merchant vessels joined the convoy, either in Halifax or later in the voyage. Surviving ships reached Liverpool on 28 May.
NameFlagTonnage (GRT)NotesAthelprincess (1929)8,882Barnby (1940)4,813Straggled and sunk by Baron Carnegie (1925)3,178Baron Elgin (1933)3,942Bente Maersk (1928)5,722British Freedom (1928)6,985Straggled 20 MayBritish Security (1937)8,470Sunk by British Splendour (1931)7,138 (1919)5,995Sunk By Darlington Court (1936)4,974Sunk By Dorelian (1923)6,431Eemland (1906)4,188Straggled 20 MayElusa (1936)6,235Sunk By Empire Kudu (1919)6,622Gretavale (1928)4,586Hada County (1921)4,853Harpagus (1940)5,173Sunk By . Rescue ShipHavsten (1930)6,161Hindustan (1940)5,245Rear-Admiral F B Watson DSO (Commodore)John P Pedersen (1930)6,128Sunk By Karabagh (1932)6,427Morgenen (1930)7,093Nicoya (1929)5,364Norman Monarch (1937)4,718Sunk By Regent Panther (1937)9,556Ribera (1940)5,559Straggled 20 MayRosewood (1931)5,989IcelandRothermere (1938)5,356Sunk By Salando (1920)5,272ReturnedTongariro (1925)8,720Toward (1923)1,571Rescue ShipWestport (1918)5,665Joined Ex Convoy SC 31Winona County (1919)6,159Returned
Convoy escorts A series of armed military ships escorted the convoy at various times during its journey. Only one escort was present during the German attacks.
NameFlagTypeJoinedLeft21 May 194123 May 1941Armed merchant cruiser10 May 194121 May 194121 May 194122 May 194121 May 194126 May 1941n/an/aHMS Dianella (K07)23 May 194123 May 194123 May 194126 May 194121 May 194123 May 1941Shakespeare-class destroyer leader23 May 194126 May 1941HMS Kingcup (K33)23 May 194128 May 1941HMT Lady ElsaASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) trawler23 May 194123 May 1941Scott-class destroyer leader20 May 194122 May 194121 May 194123 May 1941HMT Northern GemASW trawlern/an/aHMT Northern WaveASW trawlern/an/an/an/aAdmiralty S-class destroyer23 May 194127 May 1941HMS Scimitar (H21)Admiralty S-class destroyer22 May 194124 May 1941HMS SpringbankSeaplane tender/prototype fighter catapult ship 23 May 194123 May 1941T-class submarine10 May 194110 May 1941Modified W-class destroyer26 May 194128 May 194121 May 194123 May 1941
References
Bibliography
External links HX.126 at convoyweb